Socially Mistaken
by Kalims
Summary: What is the real reason behind Will's hostility toward Dean? Something completely unexpected. It also caused Will's hate toward the community- the harsh life.


**Socially Mistaken**

Teaching the last period of school in a Friday was really out of Dean Collins's liking. The student were often either too tired to pay attention or just too eager for the bell to finally ring. And here he was now, sitting on his chair facing the desk, in front of twenty five sleepy or distracted teens. Honestly, he couldn't wait for the school bell to ring himself! He had a date with Susan Vandom, who will soon trun to be Collins.

He smiled when he remembered her. How her beauty shone like a star, how she gracefully walked with confident steps, and how her face was set alight with happiness and love when he proposed to her two weeks ago. Dean frowned when he also remembered how that same face turned sad and crying the day after he popped the question.

He sighed at this. Will was the one who caused this changement. After Susan told her about the marriage, Will snapped and raged! From what Susan told him, as soon as she started talking to Will about this, the redhead started yelling at her, telling her that she can't marry him, crying about how her life would be miserable if she did so.

Susan had also cried for her daughter's inconvenience and obvious hate towards the love of her life. But even Susan's tears didn't stop Will's anger. She gave her mother a strict no and refused to listen to either her or Dean. That was why the marriage was set on hold, but Dean was determined on gaining Will's blessing.

He sighed yet again. He wondered why Will was giving him a hard time while all that he had done was trying to make her and her mother happy. But once he thought of it, he noticed that she wasn't fighting only with him, but also with her friends and boyfrined. Susan told him that few weeks ago, Will borke up with Matt, and that made Dean very stunned! The couple seemed so close and in love and Matt was too fond with Will. He was even more surprised when he knew that Will eneded the relationship without a reason or an explination.

Will was also acting weird with her friends. They would always call her and invite her to hang out or something but Will often refused. For some reason, she recently became interested in spending time alone in her closed room more than going out to have fun.

The young lady's strange behavior worried all of her surroundings, and none would know why she was acting like that. Even Dean tried to talk to her about her problems and make her open up to him, but whenever he did so, she would either run away from him and freak out and refuse to even have eye-contact.

He had no idea why she was treating him that way, like an enemy! But that was at the beginning, at the beginning where whenever he tried to talk to her she would scream at him and shout, where she would become angry and mad. But now, and rather not a long time before, Will started to act a different way with him. Instead of yelling, she would whisper, instead of becoming mad, she would turn sad and depressed, she wouldn't face him anymore, she wouldn't raise her voice at him, instead of him being the enemy, he became her like her greatest fear!

Dean glanced over his students, who were now trying to finish the exercise he gave them. As soon as his eyes fell on a certain redhead, he raised an eyebrow. Will was staring at him, but when he looked at her she immediatly looked away, and got all red and blushing. That really confused Dean greatly. And luckily for him, the bell rang and the kids stromed out of the class within seconds after they presented their papers. Will walked slowly, put the paper on the desk then hurried out, but Dean called her before she could leave.

"Will, can you come here for a second? I want to talk to you for a while." Will froze in her place, and seemed very hesitated. But then she forced herself to turn around and walk towards Dean. Her eyes were fxed on the floor, and her steps were reculant and shaky.

She stood in front of him but didn't talk nor made a sign that she was listening. But Dean started talking anyway, feeling concered and upset. He didn't know what he was going to talk to her about exactly, he just wanted to see what was wrong with her and maybe help her, only if she was willing to let him do it.

"Will, I... I've been noticing that… You're not acting like yourself lately. Your actions are making us, I, your mother and your friends, worried and afraid. Will, please! If something's wrong, please tell me!"

Will didn't even raise her head, she just started to shift her feets as a way to show that she was uncomfortable, a thing that Dean already knew, but he wasn't going to give up.

"Will, what is it?"

"N-n-othing's wrong." She murmured.

"Will, please!" Dean pleaded, but Will shook her head.

"Nothing is wrong, honest! Why do you think that?" She said in a low voice, trying to avoid conversation.

"Will! You've been acting strange with everyobdy lately! Why aren't you going out with your friends anymore, are they bothering you in anyway? Did you have a fight with them?"

"N-no, I j-just don't feel l-like going out." She answered in a low tone, Dean sighed.

"You haven't felt like going out in a whole month? Taranee actually came to me Will! She asked if something's wrong at home. You see how you're making everybody worried?" He finished but Will kept her head low.

"And that thing with Matt. The young man is really nice Will. It's not you who stands up to him and leave him so suddenly!"

"I never sincerely loved him! So I decided to end this before he gets too attached to me..." She stated, always with the same tone. Dean was a little susrprised and wondered why she was sharing her personal feelings and information with him just like that, but it was not like he minded or anything.

"Okay okay, let's forget about this! But I'm going to ask you a question and I want a straight answer ,okay?" He noticed that Will started to tremble a bit. He was concerned but still moved on with his question.

"Why Will? Why do you hate me?" He asked, in a little hurt tone.

"I don't hate you..." She whispered, sounding hurt herself.

"Then why? Why won't you let your mother marry me, since I'm obviously making her happy! Isn't that what you're worried about? Hurting your mom? Well I'd never do that Will, trust me! And if that's not what it's all about, then tell me! Are you afarid that she won't pay attetion to you anymore? Are you afraid that a new baby would come and take all of the love from your mom?"

"No it's not like that.." She trailed off but Dean continued.

"Then the problem is in me right? Have I bothered you in something? Made you angry or sad? Just tell me and I'll try to fix it!"

Will seemed like she was thinking a little bit, but then she shook her head as if she changed her mind, then she said.

"You... You never give me good grades!" It was clear that that wasn't what she was about to say, it was obvious that she just made this up to change the subject, so Dean just rolled his eyes and played along.

"Ohh Will, you're like a daughter to me, but in school, I won't distinct you from other students or prefer you from among them."

"But since the first time I saw you, I've prefered you from among all the teachers." Will said in such a low tone that Dean thought he heard wrong. But when Will looked up at him with her big brown eyes full of tears, he knew that something was wrong.

"I..." She began to say with a lump in her throat. "I-I'm in love with you Dean! Always had! Since the first time I saw you! The reason for the way I treat you is bcause I always try to concvince myself that this isn't true, that it's just a stupid teen crush and that it'll fade away. But when you started dating my mother, I couldn't help but feeling jealous, a-and hurt! That's why I never aproved on you two seeing each other. I love you so much that my heart torns into peices when I see you at my house, k-kissing my own mother! It just kills me!"

Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing! No, it wasn't true! And yet, it was happening, the last thing he thought in mind, that Will, his dauhgter-like figure, in love with him! That sure explained the way she treated him, but Dean truly wished that she just hated him instead of that! When he finally partly recovered form the shock, he noticed that Will was looking at him in fear, fear of his reaction. He tried to remain calm and restore his composure, but he couldn't controle himself that much, so he had to force himself spill few words out of his mouth.

"T-that'impossible W-will... T-that..." Clearly this wasn't what the young girl wanted to hear. She started to sobb loudly. Dean wanted to comfort her so deeply. She didn't mean any harm and it wasn't her fault, but he couldn't give her the slightest hope that they could be together. He had to be rough, just a little.

"That's worng Will! I-it's not right, a-and it's unhealthy..."

"I don't care if it's right or not!" She interrupted screaming while tears kept falling. "I don't know if this feeling is wrong or not, all I know, is that this feeling is true!"

Dean went silent and stunned. He couldn't find his words. Will felt sorry for him, she always knew that he wouldn't love her back, probably never, but she couldn't keep hiding her love for too long.

"Dean, I... Matt was just a distraction! I dated him because I thought it would finally make me realize that I don't really love you, I dated him because I thought it would convince me that I'm.. Normal! But no matter how hard I tried I couldn't love him! I couldn't run away from my emotions anymore, and I couldn't ignore them! I spent days in my room thinking, not talking to my friends becasue even if I'm with them, I'd be thinking of you!"

Dean burried his face in his hands, then he shook his head, probably hinting for Will to stop talking, but she didn't want to stop explaining and revealing what she awlays thought of him, no matter how hard it hurt her. So she kept talking, always tears in her eyes and a shaky tone in her voice.

"You can't..." She whispred. "You can't marry my mother! Not because I have anything against you or I don't want her to be happy, it's just that... I've put up to you two dating and stuff, but if you get married... It would be too much to bare, it would break me, Dean!

"Oh my God, Will! I... I don't know what to say, I..."

"Do you love me back or not?" She demanded, trying to put a strong expression on her face. Dean had to say the truth, even if it would hurt Will. Lying to her would only hurt her more.

"N-no... Only as a daughter Will." He confessed.

"Would you ever love me more..."

"It... No Will. I don't think so." He admitted. Will simply nodded and faced the truth. She tried to remain strong and calm, since she expected that answer a long time before. But that didn't stop her from crying and sobbing. Dean was extremely upset and still a bit confused. He caused this lovely girl's pain, even if it was in an inderict way. He kept his silence for a few minutes, listening to Will's cries, and thinking of a way to help her. And finally, the right way to do that occured in his mind!

"Look, it'll fade away I promise.. You would fall in love with somebdoy else! You can't stay attached to a person who doesn't feel the same way about you, you just need to forget about me Will, and I'll help you do that! I... I'll go away! Move to another city, and leave you! You'd forget me and how you feel about me in due time, and then you'll fall in love with someone else, someone more proper, who will love you back! You'll live happily ever after Will, I'll just... have to go." He revealed, making Will look up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"B-but you have a life h-here... You job, and.. M-mom.." Dean answered with a sad smile.

"I love your mother, and she loves you! If I stayed here I'll be hurting you and making you suffer, which would also hurt your mother! So it's for both of your happiness, and mine too. I wouldn't forgive myself if you suffered because of me."

Dean's kindess and sacrifice overwhlemed Will. She loved him exactly for that reason, because he was always sweet and caring.

His departure, of course, would not be easy on Will. But his sacrfice wouldn't go in vain. She will try hard and forget about him too. For her sake before his own.

She smiled at him, and nothing else was said.

After jus three days, Dean broke up with Susan with no explination. It made both of them cry, and also Will. The history teacher left school and the city of Heatherfield behind. Will didn't know where he would go, and she tried not to think about it. He was right that, it was only a matter of time when she'll move on, hopefully to the right one.

But still, she couldn't help but to wish, deep down, that their love would've had the possibility of gowing. Dean was afraid of Will's feelings, only because they weren't common. If only they could ignore what people thought, or more corectly, if only what people thought wasn't offending and always critical. Living in a sociaty isn't an easy thing to do. Because of it, Three hearts were broken.

Rules, mannerisms, principles and boundaries. That was the definiton if sociaty in Will's mind. She hated this world of judgments. And awlays will... Until nothing would stand as an obstacle in a sensation called love.


End file.
